Three Kingdoms: Ten Times Speed, Diao Chan Says I'm Too Fast

"Did you hunt all these animals yourself?"

Dong Yi looked at the black bear, gray wolf, and tiger pelts placed behind the oxcart with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

She remembered that only three days had passed since she made her promise to Duan Yu.

Duan Yu nodded and said, "It's all according to your requirements; you can barely see any wounds."

"You can check it out."

Dong Yi shook her head and said with a smile, "I'll believe you as long as you say so, no need to check."

"But......"

Dong Yi looked at Duan Yu curiously and said, "Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you? Paying 100 gold for these animal hides is obviously higher than the market price."

Duan Yu shook his head.

He has a lot of experience in judging people.

"No matter how you look at it, I'm not losing out on this deal."

"You already gave me ten gold coins. If you wanted to cheat me, why did you pay me in advance?"

"unless....."

Dong Yi raised an eyebrow, her smooth legs, hidden beneath her dress and resting on the edge of the oxcart, swayed gently as she looked at Duan Yu with a smile and said, "Unless what?"

"Unless...unless you have ulterior motives."

He's so smart.

A look of surprise flashed across Dong Yimei's eyes.

I did indeed have ulterior motives.

She had already told Li Ru that day that she actually wanted to recruit Duan Yudao to his father's side.

Did he guess it?

Or was it just a lucky guess?

Half-jokingly and half-seriously, Dong Yi said with a smile, "Looks like you've gained another 'clever' look on your face."

"I'll take this as a compliment," Duan Yu replied with a smile.

"Your archery skills are so good, and I bet you can ride a horse too," Dong Yi said with a smile. "Why do you have such skills, yet choose to make a living in the mountains?"

"Success and fame can be achieved on horseback. If you join the army and become a general, you will surely have a bright future."

Why care about such petty gains?

Dong Yi's gaze fell on the furs behind her.

Tiny profits?

They are truly living in wealth and privilege, unaware of the suffering of ordinary people.

"Miss, let me correct your words first."

Duan Yu held up a finger and waved it in front of Dong Yi, saying, "First of all, these are not trivial benefits."

Do you know how much a bushel of Liang rice costs these days?

Dong Yi's red lips parted slightly, but she shook her head.

she does not know.

"Four hundred coins," Duan Yu said with a smile. "Four hundred coins at most."

"And it's top-quality Liang rice."

"Four hundred coins can get you a bushel of grain."

"If this bushel of millet, along with some wild vegetables and other ingredients, is boiled into porridge, it can sustain a family for a month!"

How much is ten gold coins?

How many families can it support?

"A dou of wine costs no more than thirty coins, while a shi of salt costs eight hundred coins!"

"Ten gold pieces... are enough to make someone else's daughter, whom they've raised for over a decade, kneel at your feet and do anything you ask."

"Not to mention a hundred gold pieces."

"Do you know what 100 gold pieces means to ordinary people?"

Dong Yi nodded in astonishment.

One hundred gold coins is really not much for her.

It seems that no one has ever taught her these things since she was a child.

But now that I hear it, I think I understand the value of those 100 gold coins.

"As for the fame and fortune you mentioned..."

"And what else is there, like mounting a horse to serve as a general...?"

"That's for later. If a man can't even protect his own family, how can he talk about fame, fortune, or high office?"

"To protect our home and country, we must first protect our home!"

moment.

It seemed that Duan Yu's words had struck a long-hidden memory in Dong Yi's heart.

It calmed her down in an instant.

His gaze also drifted into the distance, as if recalling something.

Dong Yi raised her pointed chin and rested her hands on the carriage beneath her.

Her black skirt resembled a blooming black peony.

My gaze was fixed on the drifting clouds on the distant horizon.

Duan Yu looked at Dong Yi's profile.

It must be said that Dong Yi is very beautiful, and her temperament is quite different from that of women of this era.

"My father was an official."

Dong Yi looked into the distance and said, "When I was little, my family was just a local powerful family."

“That was the happiest time of my life, when I could see my father’s happy face every day.”

"He and his uncles roamed the grasslands, galloping on horseback, drinking and eating meat, and hunting."

Duan Yu listened quietly.

Although the two were riding in an oxcart on the long street at this time.

But the moment Dong Yi opened her mouth, the story seemed to shut out the noisy environment around her.

Duan Yu also seemed to see a graceful girl standing on the green grass, with blue sky and white clouds in the distance.

On the horizon, men gallop on horseback, while women lead cattle by string.

The scene was peaceful and serene.

"But the good times didn't last long. A rebellion broke out in my hometown, and there was fighting everywhere. Many, many people died."

"My father was summoned by the imperial court and became a general, and began to suppress the rebellion."

"Later, because of his meritorious service, he was rewarded by the imperial court and became a higher official."

"At first, my father was very happy."

"More and more people are around him, all saying that my father has a bright future."

"But the longer it went on, the more unhappy I found my father becoming."

“I don’t know why, especially after my father came back from Luoyang once, it seemed like he hadn’t smiled for a long time.”

"I don't understand why. Why am I so happy when I'm at home, but unhappy now that I'm an official?"

“Since then, my father has become less and less concerned about the family.”

Duan Yu noticed that the girl's pretty face looked somewhat downcast.

Dong Yi said she didn't understand.

But Duan Yu seemed to have guessed some of the reasons.

There's a saying in the Eastern Han Dynasty that power was in the hands of the gentry, while wealth was in the hands of the powerful clans.

The aristocratic families maintained a clear line of succession and held a monopoly on the knowledge to govern the country.

The local magnates, on the other hand, have money and connections, and thus monopolize wealth.

But in essence, powerful clans were a level below aristocratic families.

The aristocratic families utilized the powerful and influential, yet they looked down on the powerful and influential people's origins.

Dong Yi said that her family was originally from a powerful family, and later obtained official positions because of their military achievements.

However, it should also be a marginalized official position in the local area.

What were the true officials in the Eastern Han Dynasty?

What is the definition of an official in the eyes of the gentry?

Those hereditary officials with salaries of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), prefects of a region, and those who wield the power of life and death are called officials.

Only those with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and a silver seal and blue ribbon, are called officials.

Dong Yi said her father went to Luoyang, presumably to seek an official position.

But the reason for their unhappiness must be because they were turned away or looked down upon.

For a minor official from such a place to be promoted, he first needs to have a recommender in the imperial court.

Without a patron, no matter how great one's achievements, the powerful figures in the court will still disregard them.

What is a referee?

To put it bluntly, it's like being the master.

I can recommend you, but you must acknowledge me as Lord.

Dong Yi's father must have been humiliated in Luoyang.

"I...can I say a few words?" Duan Yu looked at Dong Yi.